Mr. Waseem Ahmad Hashmi
Director, Operation and Maintenance Department,
Water and Santiation Agency, Faisalabad, Pakistan

1. The City

Faisalabad, with an estimated population of 2.66 million (within municipal limits) is Pakistan’s third largest city. The city is located in the center of the Punjab province, equidistant from the Ravi and Chenab rivers.

There is no natural drain passing through the city for ultimate disposal of the wastewater, and the existing sewerage and drainage system is divided into two distinct zones (Eastern and Western) formed by the Rakh Branch Canal passing through the city. The population of the Western Zone is twice that of the Eastern Zone. Presently, untreated wastewater from the Eastern Zone is collected and carried through an open storm water channel to the Madduana Drain, which finally discharges into the River Ravi. Part of the wastewater from the Western Zone is treated. The treated and untreated wastewater is being discharged into the Paharang Drain, which ultimately flows to the River Chenab.

Faisalabad has become an important industrial center, especially for textiles. Drawing fine cotton from all over the rich Punjab, it processes cotton textiles that have exceptionally high quality, known especially for their capacity to absorb and hold dyes. This textile industry has brought wealth, jobs and fame to the city, but it also poses special problems for the sewerage system. Faisalabad lies on a flat arid plain made fruitful by the Chenab canal that brings life giving water from the great Indus River System. The flat land poses significant problems for any sewage system, due to the lack of any gravity flows that can be harnessed. The city has grown very rapidly in the past half century from a few score thousands to over 2 million, placing heavy demands on the sewerage system. The textile industry produces toxic effluents that require extensive treatment, which they usually do not obtain.

Only some domestic effluent is treated, whereas at the present time there is no arrangement for the treatment of any industrial effluent. Unplanned construction in the mushrooming growth of industries disposing untreated wastewater is a further issue. Toxic chemicals/ elements in the industrial effluent are a source of contamination of rivers, which are further sources of water supply for many downstream users as well as aquatic life.

This situation combined with rapid population growth has placed an especially heavy strain on the city’s water environment. The sewerage system laid down decades ago is now badly undersized and deteriorating. Due to the sticking of chemicals on the inner surface of sewer pipes, the diameter of the pipes is reduced. At disposal works, the pumping machinery is insufficient. Open channels and drains passing through the city are used for solid waste and sewage disposal; human and household wastes are simply dumped into these open drains, thus causing sewer blockage problems, and environmental degradation. Pumps break down and are silted due to insufficient maintenance machinery for both de-silting and the transportation of de-silted material from open channels, and the removal of sewer blockages. Pipes are often in bad repair, leaking wastes into the city. During the ten rainless months of the year, the situation is bad enough, but it becomes worse in July and August, when the rains come. This often entails flooding of waste waters through parts of the city.

The disposal stations have insufficient pumping machinery, there is no sewage treatment facility, and there are populated city areas with no sewerage system. There are also insufficient maintenance staff and equipment, and a poor revenue collection system. Clearly, Faisalabad needs a vastly improved sewerage system.

Water management facilities in Faisalabad

To TOP

2. The Proposed Action Plan

The plan will improve the sewerage system by upgrading the pumping machinery, remodeling the open drains and regulating them to keep them exclusively for rain water discharge. It will also promote the construction of individual waste water treatment plants by the highly polluting industries, and restrict new industries to specially prepared industrial parks away from residential areas.

Finally, the program will undertake an extensive education program through the schools and community organizations to increase popular awareness of the importance of a clean environment and provide instruction in what people can do to help keep their environment clean.

Measures to be taken:

1. Improvements to the sewer system
   Improvements and the replacement of outlived/ old sewer systems are required as old sewer lines have completed their lifespan. Many lines are choked and some are collapsing at the crown, due to foul gases.
2. Upgrading of pumping machinery at disposal works
   The replacement of old/ defective machinery is required to increase the efficiency of disposal works. There is also the need for the rehabilitation of civil structures and the installation of screens.
3. Remodeling of open channels/ drains
   People throw solid waste and garbage into open channels, thus causing overflow of waste water problems. From some disposal stations, effluent is pumped into channels, which is also a source of environmental pollution. No pumping should be done from disposal stations into channels, and it is necessary to reduce the size of channels in order to take only the discharge of rain water, and trunk sewer lines should be laid for the disposal of wastewater from pumping stations.
4. People/ Education Legislation
   People should be educated regarding the use of sewers/drains. They should be educated not to throw solid waste into the sewers/ drains. In the second phase, legislation is required to stop people from throwing solid waste into the sewers/ drains.
5. Requirement of maintenance machinery
   At present there is insufficient machinery for the maintenance of the sewerage system. Sewer ‘jetter’ machines, sludge-sucker machines, dumper trucks, bucket machines (cranes), excavators and tractor trolleys should be arranged for managing the sewerage system in an efficient manner.
6. Construction of sewage treatment plants by individual industries, and a big sewerage treatment plant
   Each dying/ processing industry may be bound to construct its own treatment plant for primary treatment and sedimentation, so as to prevent municipal sewer lines from choking or collapsing due to toxic chemicals. For the better environment of waste receiving bodies, a big treatment plant may be constructed before ultimate disposal of wastewater.
7. Restriction of establishment/ expansion of new industries in the city
   No new industry may be allowed to be established in the city, and no expansion of any industry (already established) may be allowed. In the second phase, all industries should be shifted from the city, and legislation is required.

Key Steps:

1. A Plan of the replacement of defective/ old sewerage pipe lines will be prepared, after carrying out surveys of all such lines.
2. After surveying all of the disposal works, the replacement of machinery will be assessed, and demand will be submitted accordingly.
3. As the remodeling of open channels/ drains is required, an implementation plan will be submitted after the  detailed survey of channels.
4. For educating the public regarding not throwing solid waste into public sewers or drains, a campaign will be launched through the electronic media /press, and posters at WASA Complaints Centers.
5. For the procurement of machinery required for operation and mainternance of sewerage, a scheme will be prepared.
6. (+7) Meetings will be arranged with industrialists for the construction of preliminary treatment arrangements/ sedimentation tanks. A draft will be prepared for legislation and will be submitted to concerned quarters regarding the expansion of industries within the city. The District/ Provincial Government will also be requested not to allow the establishment of any wastewater generating industry in the city. 

Time Frame: June 2007- May 2008